Creature Daytime Location Nighttime Location
Guard dogs Gardens Kennel Guardian hydra Creature pen Gardens
Patrol #1 Front gate Barracks (asleep) Patrol #2 One-hour rotation Barracks (asleep)
Gardens (1–4) Rear gate (5–8) Inner courtyard (9–10)
Vampire spawn Tower, 2nd floor (asleep) Front gate
Ghouls Cellar (asleep) Half-hour rotation Gardens (1–4)
Rear gate (5–8) Inner courtyard (9–10)
Chase Score Condition Modifier
Narrow, twisty streets –2 Average streets +0 Straight, wide streets +2 Densely crowded –4 Moderately crowded –2 Sparsely crowded +0
Empty +2
Next, break the chase’s participants down into two groups. The quarry is the person being chased. The pursuers are the ones doing the chasing. Determine how far apart the two groups are in feet once the chase begins. The pursuers must make a chase check by rolling a d20, adding their chase scores, and comparing the result to the prey’s chase defense. Chase defense equals 10 + the prey’s chase score. If this check succeeds,
the pursuer moves a total distance equal to his speed closer to the quarry. If he catches or overtakes his target, you can then resolve their actions using the standard combat rules. You can roll for initiative at this point or have each participant in the chase roll once pursuit begins and use the results whenever you must use round-by-round actions. When the chase reach- es this point, start at the top of the initiative order and move through it as normal. If the quarry manages to move more than 100 feet away from the pursuer, stop combat and return to the chase system. You can also use this option if one side or the other uses a barrier or other environmental effect to break off contact. For example, if one side uses wall of ice to block the road then you can return to the chase system once the pursuers have broken through the wall.
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Each round, the participants in a chase use the double move action. If for some reason one or more parties stop while others continue, keep moving the characters involved in the chase as per a double move. For example, if the charac- ters chase down a group of four drow and man- age to use web to catch two of them, the free drow continue running at their double move speed each round.
Flying characters can easily evade escape, since they can soar over obstacles. They ignore all modifiers to their chase score due to road and crowd conditions unless they fly just above ground level. In either case, double a flying creature’s speed for purposes of computing his chase score.
This process assumes that the quarry and the pursuer take no special actions to improve their chances of success. Listed below are a variety of tactics either side can use to escape or over- take the other. Each participant may opt to use an action and resolve its effects in initiative order. Characters may delay their actions to see the results of their friends’ and enemies’ moves as normal.
Daring Maneuver: The quarry or the pursuer
tries an outrageous stunt to gain an advantage. He may leap onto a passing wagon and ride it for a short time, vault over a wall, or scramble up the side of a building and climb over the roof. In any case, one party attempts to increase his speed or gain an advantage by selecting a risky but potentially rewarding path. The char- acter attempting this action must make a Balance, Tumble, or other appropriate check against DC 20. On a success, he gains a +4 bonus to his chase score for the next check. On a failure, he sustains a –4 penalty on the next check. The pursuer sustains the penalty to his check. The quarry’s chase score is lowered for purposes of determining the pursuer’s check DC.
Obstacles: This option allows the quarry to
make the chase more difficult for the pursuers by throwing obstacles in their way. He may push over a pile of baskets for sale in a market, knock over people in a crowd to start a fight, or spook a horse and make it charge into a crowd. This option only works in areas that qualify for a negative chase modifier due to narrow streets or crowded conditions. The quarry must make a Strength check (DC 10) to create an obstacle.
If he succeeds, the pursuers suffer –2 penalties to their chase scores for the next check. Otherwise, they gain +2 bonuses as the quarry wastes time in an ineffectual attempt to delay them.
Push a Mount: Characters mounted on horses
and other animals or riding carts or wagons pulled by beasts of burden can try to push them using Ride or Handle Animal. With a success- ful check with that skill (DC 15) they gain a +2 bonus or increase their chase DCs by 2 for their next chase checks. There is no penalty for fail- ing this check, but each time you try to use a skill in this manner after the first attempt you suffer a cumulative –1 penalty to your check as your mount wears down. For example, after four tries (whether they succeeded or failed), you would suffer a –3 penalty to Ride checks to push your mount for the rest of the chase.
Spells: Spells can improve the pursuer’s abili-
ty to move or hinder the quarry’s foes. A char- acter who casts a spell suffers a –4 penalty to his chase score for purposes of checks or deter- mining the DC for the next check. Resolve the spell’s effects as normal. When the pursuers or quarry reaches a spell or is hit by it, they may have to stop moving for several rounds to cope with it. Other spells, such as invisibility, can bring a chase to a halt because the pursuer has no realistic chance of finding the quarry with- out magical assistance.
Tactical Options: Once two groups draw near,
there are several actions they are likely to take to stop one or the other. Any attempts to tackle a creature should be resolved with the rules for grappling. The tackler simply charges and then attempts the grapple his target.
For chases involving horses, wagons, and carts, there are a few more options that require spe- cial consideration. While complete vehicle rules are beyond the scope of this book, here are some basic guidelines you can use to run fights that take place on a moving vehicle. Assume that a cart or wagon can move as the animals pulling it. The beasts of burden count as dragging the cart and its cargo for purposes of determining their speed and maximum load. Divide the total weight among each creature beyond the first pulling a cart, assuming they are relatively the same size and strength, to determine their total load and speed.
A driver must spend a move-equivalent action to direct the cart each round. If for some reason he does not spend an action to do this, such as if he was hit by a hold person spell, the cart continues ahead at its current speed. Determine the direction it goes upon coming to an inter- section at random. So long as the animals can see where they are heading, they stop or move to avoid (equal chance of either) any obstacles. Any creature on a moving cart must make a Balance check (DC 10) before its actions for the round or suffer a –2 penalty to all skill checks and attacks as the cart bumps and shud- ders down the road. Leaping into a wagon requires a Jump check (DC determined by the type of jump and distance) and a Balance check (DC 15) to remain standing. On a failed Balance check, the character falls prone. Jumping on to the back of a horse, donkey, or other creature pulling a cart requires a Balance check (DC 20) to avoid falling off the animal. Falling from a moving wagon causes damage as if the character fell a distance equal to the cart’s current speed.
Crowds
With the great number of people within a city and the teeming throngs that could show up to shop in a market or attend an important reli- gious service or festival, the characters may find themselves battling a villain in the midst of a large group of innocent bystanders. These rules cover fights that occur in a crowd. The crowd provides cover to those who stand within it depending on how dense it is. Furthermore, the crowd’s density limits move- ment and line of sight. The listed cover applies to all targets that are in the crowd, even adja- cent ones. The press and push of the crowd makes most attacks difficult. The speed modi- fier applies to all creatures within the crowd, though no character’s speed can be reduced to less than 5 feet. The sight distance is the maxi- mum range at which characters can see any tar- gets. Beyond that, any creature of the same size or smaller than the members of the crowd is impossible to see. Larger creatures can be sighted as normal.
As an optional rule, the crowd’s density auto- matically drops one level per round once a fight breaks out. The people in the crowd panic and try to move away from violence. If the crowd
density is light, it drops to nothing.
Sometimes, panic can cause a crowd to run out of control. Increase the crowd’s density by one category as the crowd becomes more active and frenetic. Each round, characters in a pan- icked mob must make either a Strength or Balance check (DC 10) to avoid being knocked prone. Prone characters suffer 1d6 points of subdual damage per round due to trampling. Standing up requires a Strength or Dexterity check (DC 10). Unconscious characters contin- ue to suffer damage until they are killed. If the characters engage in a fight within a crowd, there is a 10% chance per round that the crowd panics. Any loud, spectacular spell effects increase this chance to 50% during the round in which they were used. Effects that have an obviously deadly effect on a crowd, such as
cloudkill, automatically cause a crowd to panic.
Density Cover Speed Sight
Light 1/4 –0 ft. normal Moderate 1/2 –5 ft. 60 ft. Heavy 3/4 –10 ft. 30 ft. Packed 9/10 –20 ft. 10 ft.
Fire
Fire is a major threat in most fantasy cities, as the wooden buildings within them can quickly go up in flames. Without magical support, fire fighting is a difficult task at best. In most cities, arson is a capital crime.
Characters at risk of catching fire are allowed a Reflex saving throw (DC 15) to avoid this fate. If a character’s clothes or hair catch fire, he takes 1d6 points of damage immediately. In each subsequent round, the burning character must make another Reflex saving throw. Failure means he takes another 1d6 points of damage that round. Success means that the fire has gone out. (That is, once he succeeds at his saving throw, he’s no longer on fire.)
A character on fire may automatically extin- guish the flames by jumping into enough water to douse himself. If no body of water is at hand, rolling on the ground or smothering the fire with cloaks or the like permits the character another save with a +4 bonus.
Those unlucky enough to have their clothes or equipment catch fire must make Reflex saving throws (DC 15) for each item. Flammable items that fail sustain the same amount of dam- age as the character.
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Within a burning building, there is a 10% chance per round that a random character is struck by falling debris. The character must make a Reflex save (DC 10) or suf- fer 1d6 points of damage and make a Reflex save to avoid catching fire as described above.
Smoke presents a much greater danger than flames. Each round a character stands within a burning building, he must make a Reflex save (DC 15) or suf- fer 1d6 points of damage. In addition, with each failed save the character suffers a cumulative –1 penalty to all additional saves against smoke inhalation made dur- ing that encounter.
As floorboards burn, they weaken and may send a character plunging to his doom. There is a 5% chance each round that a randomly determined character falls through a wooden floor. He takes falling damage as normal and most likely falls into a roaring fire.
A character standing within flames suffers 1d6 points of damage per round and auto- matically catches fire. This damage is in addition to the damage suffered for catching fire.
As an optional rule, animals and NPCs must make Will saves (DC 15) to remain calm during a fire. On a failed save, they do noth- ing on their action but make a double move in a randomly determined direction to escape the flames. Panicked creatures move to avoid obstacles and flames. If they encounter either of them, randomly determine the direction they move to avoid them.
Rooftops
A rooftop duel is a classic trope of fantasy sto- ries and comic books. Two skilled warriors face off with swords drawn, darting from build- ing to building while trading deadly blows. Within a city, a rooftop scene can serve as an exciting climax to an adventure.
Moving from building to building requires a Jump check to leap across the span between buildings. Most alleys are 5 to 10 feet wide, while streets could be up to 30 feet across. Obviously, a failed Jump check results in a fall.
While fighting on a sloped roof, the character on the higher edge gains a +1 circumstance bonus to his melee attack rolls. All combatants must make Balance checks (DC 10) at the beginning of their actions or slide 2d6 feet down slope, possibly falling off the building’s edge.
A bull rush attack can push an opponent off a building. If the attacker succeeds in this action, he simply forces an opponent to move off the building’s edge. While grappling, a character can choose to move his opponent 5 feet in any direction with a successful grapple check. This option may be chosen in place of damaging an opponent, pinning him, escaping, or breaking a pin.
Sewers
Few adventurers can avoid entering the city’s sewers during the course of an adventure. Hidden from the city above, the sewers offer the ideal hiding place for strange cults, evil wizards, undead monstrosities, and other threats. The sewers present a daunting, difficult environment that can turn the typical encounter into a deadly challenge.
Many areas of the sewers are half-flooded with water. Within these areas, characters can move at half their normal speed. Since the water there is invariably murky with dirt and filth, all char- acters suffer a –10 circumstance penalty to Spot and Search checks against creatures and objects beneath the water. Furthermore, aquat- ic monsters and others that can hide beneath the water’s surface while attacking gain total con- cealment against attackers who cannot see into the murk.
Slime and muck coats the sewers’ stone chan- nels, making footing treacherous at best. Any time a character attempts to run, he must make a Balance check (DC 15) or fall prone. A char- acter who falls down while in chest-deep water may begin to drown if he cannot stand up. See the d20 System core rules for information on drowning.
In some areas, the horrid stench of raw sewage can prove overpowering. In such an area, a character must make a Fortitude save (DC 12) or suffer 1d4 points of temporary Strength damage due to queasiness and retching. This damage disappears as soon as affected charac- ters can return to fresh air. Many sewer crea- tures, such as rats and giant spiders, are immune to this effect.